Review of The Almond Tree by The Times Of India

Intolerance is a human being’s biggest weakness and finding peace, his greatest strength. This journey from intolerance to peace is the search for freedom. In her debut novel, ‘The Almond Tree’, Michelle Cohen Corasanti excavates a history that continues to grip the socio-political reality of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle even today.

Birth of ‘The Almond Tree’Michelle is a Jewish-American author who lived in Israel for seven years, during which time she came face-to-face with the sufferings of Palestinians in Israel. After returning to the US, Michelle seemed occupied with thoughts of what she’d left behind in Israel. “I thought, as an American, I would re-acclimate easily into US life, but that wasn’t the case. Having witnessed what I had, it was hard to talk about guys, what to wear and what parties to attend,” says the author, who could not for long keep these stories buried within herself.

The almond tree: The story-keeperThis is a tale of Ahmed and Abbas, two Palestinian brothers who are on their path to discover hope amid violence, displacement and poverty. In the early chapters, we are confronted with the difficult circumstances of a Palestinian family living under constant fear. Their little daughter has ventured out crawling after a ‘big red butterfly’. Her innocent chase proves fatal once she crosses the restricted area and the mines blow off. Ahmed and Abbas are left with the scattered remains of their sister’s body for burial. The almond tree that overlooks the village is the brothers’ favourite hangout. The tree stands like a witness to the happenings in the Arab world. Be it the 1956 Suez Canal Crisis, the 1967 Six-Day War, condition of refugees, Arab nationalism or the Palestinian cause; the almond tree sees every chapter unfolding before it. Sadly, it fails to avert or prevent these atrocities. When Ahmed’s father is imprisoned and reduced to a jobless poor villager, the almond tree is only a mute spectator, as helpless as the victims. Can silence ever be an answer to violence and Michelle explains, “For me, this conflict is not about one’s skin colour, nationality, or religion. It’s about being human. I am the ‘almond tree’. I wrote about the burden that comes with awareness that I carry with me every day. I am a witness and I wrote this novel because silence should never be an answer to violence. I put myself in the shoes of the many Palestinians I grew up with and loved during the years I lived in Israel. I have never forgotten their voices; their stories are a part of my story”.

‘Good’ versus ‘bad’At the centre of this process of chronicling narratives of unheard voices is the relationship shared between the brothers- Ahmed and Abbas. The author creates a binary opposition between the two. Ahmed idolises Albert Einstein and is more of a pacifist when it comes to taking a position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Abbas is a rebel and perceives Israel as an oppressor trying to wipe out Palestinians from their own land. For Abbas, Ahmed is no more than a collaborator who has betrayed every Palestinian for a better life in America. Ahmed, on the contrary, fails to find meaning in Abbas’ attempts of waging a war against Israelis to reclaim Palestine. The story progresses in a way that we eventually see a celebration of Ahmed’s character that wins a Nobel Prize and promises his parents a secure life; while Abbas is condemned to struggle to make ends meet within a war-torn nation. Is the novel then punishing Abbas for being a rebel and not a ‘Good Palestinian’? “Abbas is not a bad person. He is a freedom fighter as opposed to Ahmed whose genius opened doors for him. Ahmed chooses another path, partly out of a moral indebtedness to his father, and partly because he naturally possessed something that could act as a bridge between him and the world beyond his Palestinian village,” avers Michelle, who feels that the ultimate aim of the novel is to propagate peace and nothing more.

Split and separate?Is the ‘two-state solution’ a probable means to restore peace? “In order for there to be peace, there must be awareness of the truth first, because awareness leads to understanding and understanding leads to change. There must be justice for there to be lasting peace. Resolution of the conflict can take the form of the two-state solution or the South African model of a one state solution, with one person, one vote or variants on either model,” suggests the author.

‘The Almond Tree’ is a novel that begins inside a tunnel filled with darkness of violence and bloodshed. Slowly, that tunnel is destroyed and replaced by a bridge with the promise that peace and hope shall prevail. The crux of the novel lies in these words of Ahmed’s father: “One cannot live on anger”.

About the authorA Jewish American, Michelle Cohen Corasanti has lived in France, Spain, Egypt and England, and spent seven years living in Jerusalem. She currently lives in New York with her family. The Almond Tree is her first novel.

“This powerful debut novel by Michelle Cohen is a compelling narrative of how the human spirit can overcome overwhelming odds by transforming what seems to be a hopeless situation into a life that is full of opportunities… Cohen, who grew up in the United States and lived and studied in Israel, weaves a complex narrative with a delicate balance of sensitivity and candor. Her description of everyday life as it interacts with family traditions, cultural norms, and political realities, is rich …

Professor Samir Abu-AbsiProfessor Emeritus of English at the University of Toledo. Writer and editor, American Arabs in Toledo Samir Abu-Absi (B.A. in English from The American University of Beirut, M.A. & Ph.D. in Linguistics from Indiana University) is Professor Emeritus of English. He has taught language and linguistics courses that include Linguistic Principles, History of the English Language, Phonology, Applied Linguistics, and Arabic. His research interests include ESL, Language Policy and Planning, Arabic Structure, and the relationship between Language and Culture.

An awesome debut by any standards, this is a story that would resonate with the reader no matter where he is from.

Senthilkumar

The Almond Tree is not an easy read. It is not something one can enjoy, unless one enjoys having one’s heart shredded by painful truths.Or unless one is comfortable with prods to the conscience that demand personal and perhaps costly moral action.

Marsha Hansen (Sister in law of Keith Richards,Rolling Stones) speaks about The Almond Tree

“Nothing short of breathtaking… I could not put the book down and I knew I had to finish it.
There was something in those pages that would matter in my life. And it was true.”

Donteatthepickles.wordpress.com

“If you enjoyed The Kite Runner or In the Shadow of the Banyan,
you will want to read The Almond Tree”

Carol Fitzgerald, co-Founder/President of The Book Report Network

“… a fascinating and, for me, eye-opening read which I won’t soon forget.”

Shining Skyline Book Review

While reading The Almond Tree, I was strongly reminded of The Kite Runner and One Thousand Splendid Suns. The Almond Tree is about the controversial history of Palestine and it gifts you with an experience so exquisite that you can’t help but marvel.

Illuminati

“This book had me gripped from the first word to the last… This book was by far, one of the best books I have come across… If you like books, read it… Heck, if you do not like books, give this one a try, maybe you will start loving reading! I give this one a 10 out of 5.”

There and Their

“As a book, The Almond Tree has been praised enough. All over the web and the literary circles, it has been hailed as the most engrossing book of the year. My review is on the same lines, not because I have to go with the flow, but because I genuinely like it. This is one book that deserves praise it gets.
A woman writing via the eyes of a native man in a country she did not originally belong to is no easy feat. But Michelle writes a first person narrative via Ahmed Hamid so easily that some…

Reader’s Muse

This stunning debut conveys a universal story of human courage and resolution. Comparable to Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, this novel delivers an inspirational story of unfathomable pain and incredible perseverance.

Timid Fingers

The Almond Tree skillfully cobbles together a mosaic of the Palestinian condition from the mid-twentieth century to the present time with stark candor.

Marsha Hansen (Sister in law of Keith Richards,Rolling Stones) speaks about The Almond Tree

Her book assists us in challenging the lie that the expedients of inhumane policies and treatment are justified to secure a just and lasting peace in the Middle East and the restoration of human rights to the ordinary Palestinians who simply want to live with dignity and freedom.

Marsha Hansen (Sister in law of Keith Richards,Rolling Stones) speaks about The Almond Tree

Like Picasso’s painting Guernica, Corasanti’s book has the power to command the world’s collective attention

Marsha Hansen (Sister in law of Keith Richards,Rolling Stones) speaks about The Almond Tree

“Rarely does a reader encounter a first novel so rich in irony, compassion,
power, and the sheer beauty of timeless and universal truths.
“…her powerful prose and compelling characters raises
The Almond Tree to the status of epic”

Mark Spencer author, The Masked Demon, A Haunted Love Story and The Weary Motel

“The Almond Tree, intelligent,
never over stated and written with love, informs and educates”
“The details are so personal, so harrowing, yet so full of hope
and triumph over evil, you desperately want it to be real.”

Hackwriters, The International Writer´s Magazine

The preconceived notion that the greatest creations in world literature have almost been achieved in the grim periods of time comes true with Michelle Cohen’s debut, The Almond Tree. Michelle, although is a lesser known novelist unlike other Jewish authors of enormous fame, Imre Kertész or Amos Oz but her literary explorations and rich narration can be feasibly equated to such canons of literature… Michelle’s craftsmanship of drawing characters is conspicuously dexterous.

Rising Kashmir

“The story is spell-binding with universal appeal and has potential of
becoming an international bestseller and
can do for Palestinians what The Kite Runner did for Afghanistan.”